Laura Quick is a UPS package car driverwho lives in Palmyra, Lebanon County. She grew up in the Lebanon County area and was a student in the Palmyra school district all throughout her primary and secondary years. In seventh grade she became involved in athletics and eventually many afterschool programs and clubs. In her junior and senior years she volunteered at Genesis in Hershey, PA. Laura graduated from Palmyra Area High School in 1984. She continued her education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania(IUP) where she started her international travels with a freshman spring break trip to Switzerland. In 1986 Laura participated in a study abroad program in England, studying at Wroxton College and Mansfield College, Oxford University. Her senior year she became president of the IUP Equestrian Team and finished her studies with an internship in Washington, DC with the United States Information Agency (USIA). After the internship in December of 1988, Laura graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with a minor in Economics and a minor in Foreign Languages.

Laura used her degree to work with an international exchange organization, Youth for Understanding (YFU) in the Washington DC area. In addition to her paid work in the YFU South East regional office she would participate in weekend student orientations and volunteer workshopsand would eventually become a lead facilitator in cross-cultural education. Outside of work Laura volunteered with a program in Rock Creek Parkusing horses and horseback riding to help “at risk” youths in the DC schools. In 1991 Laura moved to France where she taught English and learned to speak fluent French. She continued her work in international exchange as a volunteer for Youth for Understanding, France and organized and led orientations for all foreign exchange students in France. Upon her return to the US in 1994, Laura enrolled in university to obtain her teaching certificate and from 1996-1999 taught French in Pennsylvania public schools. In April of 1999, she was blessed with her son, Merrick and promptly became focused on being a mother. In March of 2000, Laura began working at United Parcel Service (UPS) as a supervisor and in 2004 became a package car driver. Until 2012, Laura was focused on motherhood and working full time, but the call to community involvement and the desire to help others soon became too strong to resist. In 2013, Laura became a member of the Women’s Leadership Network of the United Way of the Capital Region. Since 2013, Ms. Quick has also volunteered for such causes as anti-bullying and teen mentoring and has increasingly been involved with political and labor activism.

Laura has been interested in history and politics for many decades and in 2015 finally decided to answer another call to public service. 2016 was a particularly prolific year for Laura. In January she joined the inaugural class of Emerge Pennsylvania to receive training in order to run for Congress in 2018. In June she was elected as an At Large member of the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee and in August worked as a political organizer for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters for the 2016 Presidential Election. Laura also co-founded a youth mentoring program, Mentors 2 Heroes and joined the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) and the Teamsters Women’s Caucus. In 2017 Ms. Quick organized the group “We’ve Got Issues” to increase civic engagement and discover the issues of local citizens. She was appointed by the president of Teamsters Local 776 to sit on the Labor Board of the United Way of the Capital Region (UWCR) and was also elected to the Board of Directors.

Part of a successful student exchange experience is helping the students learn cross-cultural communication skills, encourage them to see things from another perspective and help them set realistic expectations of their exchange experience. YFU students live with volunteer host families who seek to share their culture with young people from other cultures. There is also a large network of volunteers who help YFU place and support the young exchange students. There are several volunteer trainings and student orientations in any given year. The skills that make for a successful exchange experience cannot be taught in the classic sense so it is necessary that the leaders of the orientation become facilitators.

program in Rock Creek Park

Rock Creek Park Stables – Washington, DC

Horses are often used in therapy for people with physical disabilities but my volunteer work at Rock Creek Park Stables worked with horses and “at-risk” teens from the District of Columbia schools. When a teen is just starting to get in trouble in school – they are referred to this program. The teens are taught to groom and ride the horses to teach them that there are direct consequences to their actions/non actions. The way their horse reacts is in direct correlation to what they do – they can’t blame anyone else – not even the horse!

she taught English

06/1994 TEFL Certificate: Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Rutgers University; WICE Program-Paris, France

08/1991 to 06/1994 English Teacher (Teaching English as a Foreign Language)

IFG Langues – Paris, France (07/1993-06/1994)

Lycee Camille Claudel – Cergy-Pointoise, France (08/1992-06/1993)

Ecole de Langues – Le Mans, France (09/1991-07/1992)

While at Camille Claudel High School, three teachers and I organized a 2-week exchange with my alma mater Palmyra Area High School. For one week the students from France stayed with a host family and attended classes and the second week we travelled to Washington, DC, Philadelphia and New York City.

Having my son drastically changed my view and approach to the world. I felt connected to the world like never before and was amazed how totally and completely you could love another human being. My mission was to be the best mother to him that I could be and expose him to many different kinds of life experience while he is still under my protection. We took him on a cross-country trip of the US when he was 6 and then my mom and I took him on Route 66 when he was 13. He graduated from Palmyra High School in 2017 and has become a fine young man. I’m so incredibly proud of him!

United Parcel Service (UPS) – same link as “UPS package car driver”

community involvement

In 2012 I started attending Harrisburg Stampede area football games. Not only was it fun to watch the sporting event, but the Stampede owner, Marques Colston, incorporated many different aspects of the Central PA community in many fun ways throughout the games. His commitment to community was incredibly inspiring and soon drew me back out to my own community involvement. Now I am part of many things:

International Brotherhood of Teamsters-Women’s Caucus, contributor to D.R.I.V.E (Teamster Local 776 PAC)

Pennsylvania State Democratic Committee-At Large Member, South Central and Women’s Caucuses

Lebanon County Democrats– Campaign and Issues Committees; associate member of South Londonderry – Campbelltown District

United Way of the Capital Region-member of the Women’s Leadership Network

volunteered

03/2015 to 02/2016 Vice-president (volunteer)

Stand for the Silent, Central PA chapter (anti-bullying)-Palmyra, PA

Network with schools, local and state government officials, local businesses and community leaders

Organize and manage volunteers for community events

Write and submit grant proposals

Write and submit press releases to local media

1989-1991 Rock Creek Park Stables – Washington, DC (work with horses and “at-risk” teens from the District of Columbia schools)

1982-1984 Genesis – Hershey, PA (peer counselor for troubled teens)

Emerge Pennsylvania

Emerge Pennsylvania is a training program for Democratic women to run for political office. It is a 70-hour program spread over a 7 month period. Experienced campaign consultants give lectures and facilitate exercises to help future candidates find their message and purpose.